Power Report: Paying dearly for mistakes at the petrol pump

26 June 2016 - 02:00 By Megan Power
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Filling up with petrol is a chore for me, an inconvenient pit stop on the way to somewhere else.

I usually use the 15 minutes or so it takes - to fill up, check oil, water, tyres and pay - to catch up on e-mails on my phone. The only time I really engage with the attendant is to greet him, pay him and discuss the pressure needed in my tyres.

I have no clue what fuel is dispensed, what the pump reading says when complete, what my oil gau ge measures, or whether the water tank cap has been properly closed. It's largely a trust thing. I figure fuel retailers and their staff know what they're doing, so best leave them to it.

It's what Zanele Nkwe must have thought when she asked a petrol attendant at BP Thorntree in Soshanguve for R100 worth of petrol last month. Despite confirming twice that petrol was what she wanted, she had diesel poured into the tank of her 2013 GWM bakkie.

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Later that day, the car, which she'd bought only a week earlier, battled to start; it gave more trouble the next morning and was towed to a GWM workshop, where repairs had to be done.

Suspecting a fuel issue, her husband, Masilo, returned to the filling station, where records revealed diesel had indeed been supplied. He asked to be refunded his R2,700 costs, but the money wasn't forthcoming.

I approached BP Southern Africa with the complaint and Nkwe was refunded by the service station soon afterwards.

BP communications manager Kenosi Setlhako said: "The case was resolved based on the facts presented at the time and taking into consideration all matters. It needs to be noted that the motorist must also take responsibility for checking the fuel type that is put in their car."

Vanderbijlpark accountant Kibiti Lephoto hasn't been as lucky. Damage to his car's fuel injectors - which he claims was caused by contaminated diesel at Caltex Turbo Motors in Vanderbijlpark - has set him back R30,000.

Lephoto said the engine light on his 2013 Toyota Corolla D4D started flashing some 60m from the service station after a fill-up on a Friday evening in January. The engine became noisy, and the idling and traction were weak.

Suspecting fuel contamination, Lephoto and his brother-in-law drained the tank the next day. On Monday morning, he took the car to an authorised service centre, Vaal Toyota Vereeniging, for assessment.

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"The damage was found to be commensurate with fuel contamination," he said. "I went to Caltex Turbo Motors to complain ... it was not interested."

He escalated to the Chevron South Africa (which owns Caltex) regional office. He took his plea to the head office in Cape Town and as high as the company's executive management.

"I was fobbed off at every turn," he said. "I was told by Chevron that the investigation was complete and the case was closed and Chevron won't accept responsibility."

Communications manager Suzanne Pullinger said the company had engaged with Lephoto, informing him of its "extensive tests and investigations".

She said: "All the tests undertaken confirmed no abnormal residue, sludge, water or any other form of contamination in the tanks or product at Turbo Motors Vaal Triangle.

"The investigation included engaging with our fuel depot, service station, as well as the vehicle service centre where the car was repaired."

Pullinger said no customer who bought fuel before or after Lephoto on the same day had reported any problems.

But Lephoto denied that he was "engaged" on the investigation; no details were given to him, he was not contacted by investigators, nor was his car inspected or the drained diesel (which he'd kept) tested.

Pullinger said this week that Chevron had no means of validating the "integrity" of Lephoto's sample and that no reliance could be placed on any test conducted on it "at this point".

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I asked her for a copy of the company's investigation report; she replied that Chevron was "able" to share its findings with Lephoto. He has since requested, but not yet received, it.

Pullinger said Lephoto's car had been driven for 19 days after being filled up at Caltex Turbo Motors. "We do not have access to information relating to any additional refuelling that may have occurred after January 29 2016," she said.

Lephoto acknowledges he didn't book his car in for repair immediately after he received the initial quote of R20000 on February 1, waiting for the supplier to accept responsibility. It was only when he felt Chevron was giving him the "run-around" that he booked the car in for repairs, three weeks later. The final cost of replacing the injector driver and four injectors was R30,000.

Pullinger said Toyota had advised Chevron that the damage could have been a result of wear and tear; the car had done 146,000km.

But Vaal Toyota told me "we suspect contaminated fuel was used". It advised the drained diesel be sent for testing. Said workshop manager Alastair Janssens: "It could be wear and tear, but why would he suddenly have problems right after filling up? It's highly likely it was fuel contamination ... but without [Lephoto's] fuel sample being tested, we can only suspect."

He said diesel in South Africa, in general, was not the best quality; his workshop was draining diesel tanks at least twice a month due to dirt contamination.

He advised motorists to fill up only at busy, high-turnover service stations. That way, there was less chance of diesel already having water in it (diesel attracts moisture), and less chance of algae build-up.

Although Lephoto can still lodge a complaint with the motor ombudsman, allegations of fuel contamination, especially so long after the event, are not easily proved. Ideally, affected consumers should alert the supplier immediately and insist that it - or an agreed third party - remove a sample from their car's tank as soon as possible for testing.

sub_head_start Contact Megan Power sub_head_end

E-mail: consumer@sundaytimes.co.za

Follow Megan on Twitter: @Power_Report

Please note: Other than in exceptional circumstances, readers sending me complaints must be willing to be identified and photographed.

Tune in to PowerFM 98.7's 'Power Breakfast' (DStv audio channel 889) at 8.50am on Monday to hear more from Megan

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